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MadLab's Robot
A mechanical construct that can serve in the place of a mercenary, built by Nathaniel "MadLab" Kairns, with the express intention of using it to assassinate Queen Deidranna and end her regime. Location The robot is initially found in whatever sector Nathaniel "MadLab" Kairns is hiding in, in his workshop. Building the Bot Talking to MadLab with a merc with some degree of leadership (greater than 10) will cause MadLab to reveal his grievances with the Queen to you, along with the robot he is building and what he needs to complete it. Naturally he requires your mercs to bring him some parts that he cannot get to complete it, which consists of a rifle and a video camera. Any rifle can be used, and the video camera is most easily obtained from the shops in Balime. Bear in mind that the rifle used will be the rifle the bot uses during combat. The rifle becomes permanently attached to the robot once it is given to MadLab, and cannot be removed or recovered thereafter, even if the bot is destroyed. MadLab will also remove any non-built-in attachments on the weapon and drop them on the floor - these can be picked up again and used elsewhere. A control headset is given to the nearest merc when the robot is completed. Description A squat, boxy little device, the robot moves around on dual tank treads, and its circuitry is protected by thick layers of bullet-resistant steel. The small, rotating video camera lens allows it to "see", feeding visual info back to whoever wears its control headset. Robot Controller Headset Official Description Notes for Use *In order to issue orders to the robot, someone in the bot's squad must equip the controller headset, in place of an Extended Ear. *The most noticable perk of the robot is that it is highly resistant to conventional weapons fire. Damage from armor piercing ammunition is usually reduced to the low single-digits, and it is effectively immune to hollowpoint and glaser ammunition. Even after sustaining damage, the bot does not "bleed" (all damage it sustains appears as "bandaged") and it does not lose combat capability as it sustains damage. It effectively has no breath bar, and is thus immune to the fatigue effects of mustard gas, tear gas, and stun grenades. It is resistant to Bloodcat claws in a manner similar to bullets and it has no scent, rendering it completely invisible to Crepitus (but remember to cloak the controller person). *The robot is still vulnerable to explosives, especially high-explosive, anti-armor weapons such as LAWs or rockets, and can be instantly destroyed on a direct hit from one of these weapons. *Damage sustained does not worsen over time, nor does it get better - damage also must be repaired, by someone with sufficient mechanical skill, rather than treated by a medic or doctor. *The robot's mobility is limited by its tank treads - it is slow to move, it cannot run, jump over fences, climb roofs, cross water, nor move stealthily. It is unable to interact with any NPCs or environment objects, nor can it be assigned to any non-combat duties. *The robot also cannot carry any items other than the rifle that was attached to it - therefore it cannot carry extra ammo except for what is already in the rifle's clip, and can only be reloaded by another merc passing ammo to it. *Interestingly, the robot cannot be made to attack its creator, Dr. Kairns. Dead robot If the robot is destroyed, Madlab will build another one, though each new bot will require another video camera and rifle. Be careful! Don't remove the robot from the mercenary list at the map screen if it's destroyed. If you made the error of removing, then the robot won't return to your squad anymore, even if you talk to Madlab. Tactics *One of the better uses for the robot is probably as a defender in a garrison or at a chokepoint, as its low mobility hinders its ability on a more active battlefield. Its range of sight is limited, so despite its heavy armor, multiple targets can still whittle the bot down from beyond its field of view while it attempts to roll itself into range. *Alternately, the robot can be used effectively as a merc's companion - a "second gun", as it were. If the merc is willing to keep his or her pace slow to allow the robot to keep it, it effectively adds a gun and damage soak to the merc's active arsenal. *Like in the real world, the robot is also useful as a substitute for a squad in room-clearing operations, where there is a risk of being surprised by close-range fire. Sending the bot into an enclosed space is ideal, as it will provide info on where enemies are hiding, its armor will protect it from any ambushes that may await, and the risk of encountering a rocket launcher are low. *Robot is completely invisible to Crepitus, even when firing at them. Arm it with LMG with glaser ammo and watch it clean them effortlessly by itself. Although, remember, that the robot operator must be shielded of human scent and should not move in the course of action. Category:Characters Category:Jagged Alliance 2